We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Agricultural Waste Management for Food Security and Sustainability
Summary
This review examines how agricultural waste, including crop residues, animal manure, and food processing by-products, can be transformed into valuable resources through composting, biogas production, and biochar application. The authors highlight that new technologies like AI and IoT are helping optimize these recycling processes. The findings are relevant to microplastic concerns because improper agricultural waste management contributes to soil and water pollution, including plastic contamination from fertilizer coatings and mulch films.
Agricultural waste management is a crucial aspect of sustainable agriculture, directly influencing food security, environmental health, and economic viability. Agricultural activities generate diverse waste streams, including crop residues, animal manure, food processing by-products, and aquaculture waste. If not managed properly, these wastes contribute to soil and water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, and economic inefficiencies. However, innovative waste management strategies, such as composting, vermicomposting, biogas production, and biochar application, can transform agricultural waste into valuable resources. Technological advancements, including artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and biotechnology, play a vital role in optimizing waste recycling and valorization processes. Additionally, integrating circular economy principles into agricultural systems can enhance resource efficiency, reduce dependency on chemical fertilizers, and promote sustainable food production. Effective policy frameworks, international guidelines, and active participation from governments, NGOs, and farmers are necessary for the large-scale adoption of sustainable waste management practices. Addressing key challenges, such as the lack of awareness, financial constraints, and infrastructural limitations, will be essential for transitioning toward a zero-waste agricultural system that supports both environmental sustainability and global food security.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Microbial Degradation of Agricultural and Food Wastes into Value-Added Products
This review covers microbial biodegradation of agricultural and food waste into bioenergy and other products, noting plastic waste from agriculture — including microplastics — as an urgent pollution concern in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. It discusses factors affecting plastic biodegradation and highlights the promise of converting waste into value-added outputs like biogas and fertilizer.
Agricultural plastics and environmental sustainability: Assessment and remediation strategies
This review examines the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of agricultural plastics including mulch films, irrigation pipes, and greenhouse covers, and evaluates management strategies such as recycling, composting, biodegradable alternatives, and circular economy models for reducing microplastic accumulation.
Turning trash into tools: agricultural waste-derived biochars and composites for microplastic removal from wastewater
This review examined the use of agricultural waste-derived biochars and biochar composites as sustainable sorbents for microplastic removal from wastewater. Researchers summarised how engineered biochars produced from crop residues and other agricultural biowaste can be functionalized to achieve efficient microplastic remediation, offering a circular economy approach to both waste valorisation and pollution control.
Plastic Pollution in Agriculture as a Threat to Food Security, the Ecosystem, and the Environment: An Overview
This review examines how plastic products used in agriculture -- from mulch films to greenhouse covers -- contribute to microplastic pollution in soil, water, and crops. While plastics help boost crop production and food quality, their breakdown releases microplastics that can be taken up by plants and enter the food chain. The paper discusses strategies to reduce plastic pollution in farming, which is important because agricultural microplastics represent a direct pathway to human dietary exposure.
A Review of Microplastic Contamination in Agriculture: Sources, Impacts, and Solutions
This review examines the sources, occurrence, and impacts of microplastic pollution in agriculture, including degradation of mulch films, contaminated sewage sludge, and polymer-coated agrochemicals. Researchers highlight evidence that crops can take up microplastics, creating a direct pathway for food chain contamination. The study calls for standardized analytical methods and a comprehensive mitigation strategy based on refusing, redesigning, reducing, reusing, recycling, and recovering agricultural plastics.